NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Samoan Starling
Aplonis atrifusca (Peale, 1849)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca) is a large starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands. The species has a dark brown, glossy appearance, with a long bill. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forest on volcanic islands, where it is common and more conspicuous than the Polynesian starling, which is found in the same habitat. Vocalizations include various whistles and other sounds. This starling feeds on a variety of fruits, especially guava, and insects. Little is known of its mating or social habits, but it appears to nest year-round, in tree cavities. Its eggs are pale blue.
Wikipedia contributors, Samoan starling; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:46:28.488430+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aplonis atrifusca (Peale, 1849)
- Name authority
- (Peale, 1849)
- Common name
- Samoan Starling
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Aplonis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySturnidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusAplonis Gould, 1836
- speciesAplonis atrifusca (Peale, 1849)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aplonis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atoll StarlingAplonis feadensis (E. P. Ramsay, 1882) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed StarlingAplonis magna (Schlegel, 1871) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-eyed StarlingAplonis brunneicapillus (Danis, 1938) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rarotonga StarlingAplonis cinerascens Hartlaub & Finsch, 1871 | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Violet-hooded StarlingAplonis circumscripta (A. B. Meyer, 1884) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kosrae Mountain StarlingAplonis corvina (Kittlitz, 1833) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Tasman StarlingAplonis fusca Gould, 1836 | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Brown-winged StarlingAplonis grandis (Salvadori, 1881) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mauke StarlingAplonis mavornata Buller, 1887 | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Metallic StarlingAplonis metallica (Temminck, 1824) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moluccan StarlingAplonis mysolensis (G. R. Gray, 1862) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-eyed StarlingAplonis mystacea (Ogilvie-Grant, 1911) | SturnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lamprotornis atrifusca Peale, 1849 Peale, 1849 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554130 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:FPHZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.